"After review of all available evidence I have decided to dismiss the charges against Ehud Halevy," Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes says in a statement issued moments ago.

Halevy, as we reported last week, got the crap kicked out of him by an
NYPD officer during a two-minute-long beat-down -- during which he was
punched in the head,
pepper-sprayed, and beaten with a club. Following the beat down, Halevy
was hit with a felony
charge of assaulting a police officer, as well as four
misdemeanor charges and four violations, including trespassing,
resisting arrest, and harassment.

Halevy's crime: sleeping on a couch at a synagogue and outreach center for troubled
youth in Crown Heights. He had permission to be there, and had been staying there for about a month.

Luckily,
the beating was caught on tape (embedded above), which clearly shows that Halevi never
assaulted anyone. Nor was he trespassing -- or harassing anyone. He was
asleep.

"If not for the clear evidence of this video, we might believe that
Mr. Halevi had committed the crime he was accused of, which included
assaulting an officer of the law," says Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind,
an Orthodox Jew who represents Brooklyn. "But the video
proves this was a lie. How many similar claims by law enforcement
officers are equally fictitious?"

We sent the Brooklyn D.A. an
email asking whether any decision has been made to charge the officer
who dished out the beating with any crimes. We're yet to hear back.

Check back for updates.

*UPDATE*: The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office says it's yet to decide whether to charge the officer with any crimes. "It's still an investigation," a D.A. spokesperson tells the Voice.

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Why do you think so many people despise cops? The few that don't personally engage in this sort of thing will cheerfully assist their fellow cops in covering it up. There are no "good people" among the ranks of police officers - it's not the sort of job that attracts nice people.

Was the young man inebriated as some are reporting? I think if he was not, this too should be clarifyed and cleared from his "record". How was he found anyway and why did no one confirm with the Rabbi that he had the permission to be there? This is truly a disgrace.